Q Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, is the lawmaker in the Bay Area I like the least. This is because he proposed lowering the fine for turning right on red without stopping a few years ago. I didn’t like many of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s views and policies, but he became my hero when he vetoed Hill’s first bill.

People who say that running a red light while turning right is less dangerous than a regular red run are only thinking about danger to other motorists. As a bicyclist and pedestrian, I can attest to the fact that people that want to blast through a right on red without stopping are not looking out for us.

When I’m a motorist, I look out for such things. But those rolling through right turns are looking out for other vehicles, and they are only looking to the left. Requiring them to stop (and punishing them equally when they fail to do so) requires them to look at EVERYTHING before proceeding.

If they only slow, they will likely only have time to look for vehicles coming at them from the left. They won’t have time to look right and assess that something smaller is trying to cross the street. A nonmotorist can get seriously injured by a car blowing through a right turn at even 5 mph. I’ve seen it happen.

Tom Farrell

Santa Clara

A Hill is again sponsoring a bill to cut in half the $490 fine for running a red on right turns to about $250. Most red-light tickets are issued for right-turn violations. On Monday, the Senate Appropriations Committee will hear SB 986, which is co-sponsored by Sen. Ben Allen.

A few years ago in a two-month period in South San Francisco, 98 percent of the 672 red-light violations recorded at El Camino Real and Westborough Boulevard were for right turns. Other cities say four in five tickets go to people turning right at intersections.

Q I have a suggestion for Roger Miller, who wanted to know how to reduce fines for turning right on a red light without stopping: Don’t go through red lights.

Wayne Giroux

Morgan Hill

A Now onto a guy who lost a dear friend to a red-light runner.

Q Maybe it’s people dreaming the lyrics of the Rolling Stones’ “Far Away Eyes” and thinking they can run 20 red lights in His honor and everything will be OK.

All I know is a drunk did just that at Rengstorff and Old Middlefield, instantly killing my friend Isaac as he pulled out of a gas station 30 years ago. I still often think of his smile. Statistics are Mark Twain’s third lie; merely one black swan can touch an entire community. Drivers are right to be cautious when others are not.

Lance Berc

San Francisco

A More than 700 people are killed and an estimated 137,000 injured in accidents involving red-light violations every year nationwide. One in 10 crashes involves a driver making a right without stopping.

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